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It's summer here in Idaho, and I have been trying to get Sheldon out in the sun more. I am having issues creating a scenario where I feel he is safe, and he is not stressed out. I used to fill a baby pool with water and have an "island" in the middle. He never basked, I suppose because he never spent enough time in there to feel comfortable. This year he is tall enough to make me nervous having him in there, he is on the verge of being able to escape.

Then I had a whole pond area that I build specifically for Sheldon, but I decided it was too hard/time consuming/expensive to have a running pond. Especially trying to keep it turtle escape proof and chemical free.

So I have been using the empty pond thing to contain him while he catches some rays. He spends the entire time trying to climb the walls. He is clearly stressed out, not enjoying himself. I don't want to torture my turtle!! I feel like a bad turtle mama. I have put him in the yard before to wander, but he is on a constant mission to jam himself into every awkward space he finds. And he is quick!

I tried making a pen out of chicken wire stuck a few inches into the ground, but he would try to jam himself thought the openings so hard I thought for sure he would injure himself...

I am out of ideas.

What does everyone else do?

Is it really even worth the stress of taking him out of his aquarium to get some natural sun? I felt like last year the sun helped his shell, but maybe that was all in my mind...

I use a simple barrier out of thin plywood (to create a 8' x 8' x 1' fence) and some plastic netting to cover the top. I keep them on the grass because it's a cool surface, plus I don't want to deal with cleaning or filling a pond they'll use only a few hours a week. Do they want to get out? Sometimes, but they also stop for awhile to bask.

Thanks Steve, I guess I was over-complicating it. How often do you think would be ideal, and for how long? For like an hour maybe a couple times a week?

I let them out so long it's comfortable for them. Sunny weather around 75-78F works well (make sure there is no, little or warm breezes). Once it goes into the 80's, they head for the shade. Experiment to see what works for them and is convenient for you.

What do I think is ideal? Tough to say since I have zero scientific evidence on how long the should bask or how much UVB they need. Like I said, just make it comfortable for them and see what's convenient for you. 1-2 hours a day would be great, over 2-3 days would still be very good.

This is what I made...



I think the grass on the floor is the ticket, he seemed alot calmer! Thanks

Looks great! And much more sturdier than mine.

steve wrote:I let them out so long it's comfortable for them. Sunny weather around 75-78F works well (make sure there is no, little or warm breezes). Once it goes into the 80's, they head for the shade. Experiment to see what works for them and is convenient for you.

What do I think is ideal? Tough to say since I have zero scientific evidence on how long the should bask or how much UVB they need. Like I said, just make it comfortable for them and see what's convenient for you. 1-2 hours a day would be great, over 2-3 days would still be very good.

@Steve curious why you shoot for 75-78 outside. Isn't the basking temp in your indoor setup higher than that? Or do you go for the lower temp because no water for them to regulate?

I have a plastic kiddie pool. Was thinking of filling it with a little water and putting a rock or log or something in the middle for a basking platform, but it's been really hot out. 95 today

I think it's just the intensity of the Sun. When they are basking indoors, their temps (taken with a temp gun) are between 90-95. When it's in the 75-78 range, they will want to be in direct sunlight for longer periods of time. When it's 80 and up, they'll bask for a short period and then stay in the shade. It's still good to take them out, but they don't fully utilize the Sun.

Thanks!

Unfortunately I don't think the grass floor is going to work. I had Sheldon out basking today while I cleaned his house, and when I went to go get him to put him back in his aquarium he had at tick crawling on him! It hadn't latched on, thank goodness! But I think this means I'm going to have to build a floor to the box, which is going to make it extremely heavy. Oh well, I guess I will use plywood to finish the floor and maybe cover it with some Astroturf for something... He was really digging his time in it too, I'm so sad!

Sorry to hear it, could it have just been an isolated incident?

Yeah, I suppose it's probable not going to be a common problem. I just HATE ticks, they creep me out. I have only seen one other tick in my yard, and my dog hasn't ever had one... so I was probably over-reacting.

Outside basking sessions will continue as previously scheduled lol

What about getting a piece of vinyl flooring that you could roll up and just set the box on top of that? Box looks good btw..I need to build one of those! BTW- easiest way to kill a tick is to drop them in Dawn dishwashing liquid. When I was a dog groomer, we all kept empty baby food jars of dawn at our stations. Those suckers are hard to kill otherwise!